The origins of modern Raverie trace back to the invention of the Rhotra Modus, created 140 years ago by the pioneering engineer Wolfgang Rhotra. While simple by today’s standards, the Rhotra Modus achieved a breakthrough: a near-perpetual motion mechanism requiring remarkably little winding energy. It was not the most efficient or powerful mechanism by later standards, but it was the first of its kind—proof that a city could run on mechanical self-sufficiency rather than seasonal labor or fuel.
The Rhotra Modus ignited what is now known as the Modus Revolution. As new Modi were built, Raverie rapidly expanded its infrastructure, economy, and engineering culture. Though many citizens initially viewed mechanization with caution, the new technology quickly gained widespread acceptance as it improved daily life and created entirely new professions.
Today, the original Rhotra mechanism is preserved as an exhibit in the @Rhotra Market —celebrated as the spark that set the city’s mechanized evolution into motion. Modern systems have long surpassed it in capability, but its historical importance remains unmatched.
Following the early successes of the Modus Revolution, Raverie established a dual system for regulating new Modi:
Political authorities determine when and where a new Modus is needed.
Leading precision engineers design and approve the systems, ensuring they meet the technical standards for safety and efficiency.
No Modus enters construction without cooperation between these two groups. The arrangement prevents both technological stagnation and uncontrolled expansion, ensuring Raverie's growth remains deliberate and sustainable.
Raverie’s Romanesque architecture—arched halls, brick towers, stone ornamentation—predates the Modi by centuries. To preserve this aesthetic, almost all Modi are constructed beneath the city rather than within its visible skyline.
Subterranean systems include reinforced gear corridors, winding shafts, pressure-regulating galleries, and large maintenance platforms. Brass, copper, and steel extensions run behind the walls of old buildings but are designed to blend seamlessly, maintaining the architectural integrity of the upper city.
The underground layer consists of a vast network of tunnels and mechanical galleries accessible only to engineers and Modus Winders. These tunnels vary in size—some broad enough for transport carts, others narrow technical passages serving specific mechanisms.
Gremlins inhabit portions of this mechanical underbelly. Agile and mischievous, they have been known to tinker with pipes or crawl into maintenance ducts. Nevertheless, most major Modi are so robustly constructed that gremlin interference rarely results in structural risk. For trained personnel, the undercity remains a safe and disciplined work environment.
Modi range from compact, handheld mechanisms to vast engines spanning the entire foundation of Raverie.
Small Modi contain intricately layered micro-gear systems.
Large Modi consist of kilometers of shafts, pistons, and harmonic tension systems interconnected across districts.
Each Modus contains a heart, the central core where the most complex gear interactions occur.
Small Modi keep their hearts within a single metal housing.
Larger Modi position their hearts beneath plazas or inside specialized buildings such as towers or reinforced vaults.
All Modi operate through a combination of precise winding energy and extreme efficiency.
Some can run for weeks or months on a single wind—such as the Noel Modus—while others require periodic micro-adjustments by dedicated staff.
Although magic exists in the world, the Modi of Raverie remain entirely mechanical, functioning through tension systems, balanced crank arrays, heat transfer regulators, and synchronized gearwork.
Modus Winders form an elite faction of Raverie’s engineering class. Each Winder:
Specializes in one specific Modus
Trains extensively at the Institute of Precision Mechanics
Maintains, repairs, expands, and winds the mechanism they are assigned
Holds their position for life, gaining unmatched familiarity with their Modus
Larger Modi employ one principal Winder supported by a team of mechanics; smaller Modi may be tended by a single individual.
Originally designed as an early self-sustaining mechanism, the Rhotra Modus introduced the concept of long-running mechanical systems requiring minimal winding energy. Its invention marked the first true step toward fully mechanized urban living.
While no longer used as a primary functional engine, modern Raverie regards it as a foundational milestone.
Displayed in the @Rhotra Market as a preserved exhibit.
Historically maintained by several generations of Winders.
Currently tended by a single caretaker dedicated to its preservation as a cultural artifact.
Due to its simplicity and sturdy build, the Rhotra Modus presents no meaningful danger.
The Modus Primus is the central engine of Raverie and the most influential mechanism ever constructed. It:
Regulates heat distribution throughout all districts
Supplies energy to numerous smaller Modi
Synchronizes and oversees the entire Modus network
Manages baseline infrastructure such as ventilation and municipal lighting
Serves functionally as the city’s mechanical “command center”
Everything from marketplace displays to automatons relies on the precise rhythms dictated by the Primus.
Spread across the largest subterranean chamber beneath the city.
Its heart lies directly under the Grand Plaza, visible through the plaza’s thick glass floor where massive, slowly turning gears can be observed.
Operated by a single master-level Grand Winder supported by a large maintenance staff.
The position is considered the pinnacle of the Winder profession.
Because the Modus Primus is interconnected with almost every other Modi, any misalignment or incorrect winding could cause citywide desynchronization.
Consequences may include:
Fluctuating temperatures
Lighting failures
Instability in dependent Modi
Widespread stalling of urban mechanisms
While catastrophic collapse is virtually impossible, even small disturbances produce noticeable effects.
The Bastallikus Modus is the mechanism that grants decision-making ability to automatons. Approximately the size of an apple, it contains some of the most delicate micro-precision engineering ever developed.
Automatons may contain:
One Bastallikus Modus for simple tasks
Multiple Bastallika in complex models requiring layered behavioral logic
This Modus enables speech, recognition patterns, task execution, and limited adaptive reasoning.
Housed inside automatons throughout Raverie.
Originally created by Arwin Bastallikus, one of Raverie’s most talented precision engineers.
Modern maintenance is performed by:
Winders specialized in miniature mechanisms
The Clockguard Workshop team
The Automaton Tuning Workshop in the Maestro District
Improper winding or internal interference may lead to:
Behavioral looping
Misidentification errors
Overcompensating reactions
Runaway autonomous behavior in extreme cases
Such incidents remain rare due to rigorous upkeep.
The Noel Modus transforms Raverie into its winter festival state for the month of December. It influences mechanisms across the entire city, including:
Seasonal decorations and lighting
Weather adjustments such as artificial snow
Entertainment and musical automatons
Mechanical reindeer couriers
Choreographed displays and public festivals
Among all Modi, it is second only to the Modus Primus in geographic reach and interconnectedness.
The heart of the Noel Modus sits within the Horonasius Tower, a copper-and-brass structure topped with a rotating sphere. The tower stands prominently in the Grand Plaza.
Operated by Alicia Toro, apprentice to the creator Gustavo Horonasius.
Both reside within the tower and maintain the Noel Modus throughout the year in preparation for the annual December activation.
Although stable, incorrect winding or misalignment during activation can cause:
Malfunctioning decorative drones
Over-aggressive or misrouted reindeer
Unpredictable snow output
Over-tensioned Nutcracker automatons
Dissonant musical automatons capable of destabilizing nearby systems
The December Winding Rite is therefore treated with ceremonial care and extreme technical precision.